Food-grade oil for carbon steel?

el gigantor

el gigantor

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My GEC 23 Pioneer Trapper landed today and the thing is glorious! It’s going to be my go-to slicer for lunches at work, and I was wondering what you all do to maintain your food duty carbon steel? I’m excited about impending patina, but I want to avoid rust and/or ruining the blade.
 
I use food grade orange oil which i have for bench tops and chopping boards. Another advantage, because it is slightly thinner can be used in the joints, and on Bone, Stag and Horn scales. So actually works out a lot cheaper than having several types of oil.:thumbsup:
 
As stated above, just use and keeping dry will stop rust. The old use it or lose it principal. Apart from maintenance which how often is your choice, all the old timers just swore by just using it and carrying it, that is all they did, and they knew.
 
Dry is good, except for the joints. You still gotta oil the joints! Mineral oil does the job, well and cheaply.
 
Mineral oil, as mentioned, Organics like olive oil can turn gummy & also turn rancid & since you’re eating your lunch with it can make you poop like a goose! & never put olive oil on a cutting board ether for that reason! Enjoy your new knife!
 
Rhinoknives1 said:
Mineral oil, as mentioned, Organics like olive oil can turn gummy & also turn rancid & since you’re eating your lunch with it can make you poop like a goose! & never put olive oil on a cutting board ether for that reason! Enjoy your new knife!
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Mineral oil is a natural laxative.
 
Great question and post as I was wondering the same. I just picked up a sweet xm-18 vintage series with the 01 tool steel. The natural parkourized finish (however that means and how they applied it) does a great job keep the blade rust free but have noticed the edge (which is uncoated obviously) turned some colors after 1 or 2 uses with avocado or strawberries, tomatoes etc. I'm guessing it's the natural patina and not rust as was under the impression rust couldn't happen THAT quickly. However, the colorations look pretty cool in certain light and was thinking of removing the parkourized finish on the blade to reveal the natural carbon steel underneath.
The question is, can one have natural patina develop and still be food safe if used such oil as mineral oil like ya'll recommend or will the patina be like rust and expose one to all sorts of nasty chemicals and metals and such? Guess we've gotten so used to stainless steels that we forgot all about the roots of knife steel. :confused:
 
Danke42 said:
Mineral oil is a natural laxative.
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yes, if you gulp down a tablespoon or more of it, rubbing the blade & a tiny drop of mineral in the pivot isn’t enough to blast loose from! :eek:.........also it’s a refined product from minerals. Not an organic, like Olives.... “ It was never alive” not Organic like Olives.... it will not turn rancid like Olive can....... any wooden cutting board maker will say, rub mineral oil on the board to restore luster & don’t use Olive....Glad you haven’t gotten sick from rancid olive oil! You don’t want to!
 
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